Huineng couldn't bear it, stopped in his tracks, and wanted to turn around. But when I thought of this trip, it was difficult to leave, and I walked out of the courtyard with a ruthless heart. The song is faint, like a moonlight elf, falling from the depths of the ethereal universe, echoing in Huineng's heart, sad with a little confusion......

Huineng Xiaoxing stayed overnight, hungry, picking wild fruits in the mountains to satisfy hunger; When you are thirsty, go to the stream and pluck a handful of water and drink it. In this way, Huineng walked for more than a month, and finally came to the boundary of Huangmei in Qizhou. In front of you, there is a big river with rolling waves in front of you.

On the other side of the river, I saw two towering peaks, facing each other by the river.

"Ah, Higashiyama has arrived!" This is in line with Master Shi Hui of Jintai Temple in Xinzhou telling him about the topography of Dongshan in Qizhou. Dongshan is also known as Twin Peaks because of its twin peaks. On the two peaks shrouded in mist, there are halls and temples faintly hidden among the white clouds and green trees. The place of pilgrimage is not far away, and the long-awaited Buddha is about to appear in front of you. Huineng felt inexplicably excited, and the fatigue of the long journey was swept away.

After crossing the river, Huineng climbed up the stone steps, and the three big characters of "Dongchan Temple" were impressive.

This Dongchan Temple, originally Jiangzhou Thorn Shi Huan Yi for the Mengyuan Zen Master to build, after generations of continuous expansion, the scale gradually larger, and because of the arrival of a famous monk as the abbot and the reputation of the famous, become a famous Buddhist temple. At this time, the five ancestors Hongren Master was the abbot here, and after opening the dojo, he opened the Dharma widely, and attracted the group products, causing a sensation throughout the country and attracting believers from all over the world. There are more than 1,000 disciples living in the temple.

Huineng entered the "One Day Gate", and saw the temple hall of blue bricks and green tiles built against the mountain, layer upon layer, showing a bit of solemnity in the simplicity.

Climb the stairs and pass through the winding path of the cloister of the temple. On the way, Huineng exclaimed from his heart that this Dongchan Temple was much more imposing than Jintai Temple in Xinzhou.

Huineng saw the scene inside through a brown lattice carved with flowers.

In the main hall, red candles were burning high, and cigarettes were wisps, but there was silence inside.

Nearly 1,000 monks sat in rows on futons, all eyes focused on the throne of the pulpit, listening attentively.

On the big red throne of the pulpit, there was an old monk who was more than half a hundred years old sitting cross-legged, his face was slightly round, his face was full of red light, his gray eyebrows were on both sides, and his chin was long and bearded. He was teaching Buddhism to his disciples. He is the fifth-generation patriarch of Zen Buddhism, Master Hongren, who is famous all over the world.

Master Hongren did not stick to the old customs, but instead used the "Diamond Sutra" to spread the law, and opened the "method" of Dongshan, also known as the "fifth ancestor of Dongtu", which laid a solid ideological foundation for the formation of Huineng's Zen system.

At this time, the voice of the Fifth Ancestor Hongren Master was not high, but his voice was loud and long, as if the sound of the hanging bell echoed inside and outside the main hall.

Huineng was separated by a wooden door outside the hall, more than ten zhang away from the throne of the pulpit, but he heard Master Hongren's explanation very clearly:

"Buddha Shakya was born in Kunga Lovaz in the western heavens, and he used to preach the Dharma on Vulture Mountain. His phrase 'Heaven and the world, I am the only one' has become the dogma of my Buddha. 'Ego' is not a self-esteemed ego, but a 'big self', a Buddha's mind that serves everyone. When we point to the sky with our right hand and the earth with our left, it means that the sky is high and the earth is thick, and it is infinite, and anyone can share the light of the Buddha's life. ”

Huineng listened outside, listened, as if something tugged at his heartstrings, and the echo was far away and deep.

"The Huayan sect reveres the Huayan Sutra, while the Tiantai sect uses the Lotus Sutra as its basic scripture, and the Pure Land sect has the Amitayus Sutra and the Amitabha Sutra. And I think the Diamond Sutra ...... "After the five patriarchs finished preaching Buddhism, there was a burst of cheers from the monks in the temple.

Shenxiu walked to the front of the stage, cleared his throat, and announced to everyone: "This is the end of today's interpretation, after you go back, you should carefully digest the master's instructions today, understand them well, and practice meditation diligently." ”

The monks walked out of the main hall one after another and dispersed.

The Five Patriarchs stood up from the Dharma Throne and stepped down the steps of the Dharma Throne.

Shenxiu stretched out his hands to the Fifth Ancestor and made a gesture of support: "Master, be careful." ”

The Fifth Patriarch stepped down from the Dharma seat, and after standing still, he asked, "Shenxiu, how did I teach this lesson today?"

Shenxiu's face was full of flattery: "The words are beautiful, and every sentence is sobering, which makes people suddenly open, and they only feel that the wisps of Buddha's light shine directly on the heart." ”

The fifth ancestor stroked his long beard with his hand, his eyes were fixed, and he didn't say more.

The warrior monk Jingming behind Shenxiu handed the tin staff to the five ancestors.

The five ancestors walked out of the main hall with a tin cane, surrounded by Shenxiu, Jingming, and other talisman monks, and walked towards the abbot's room.

When Hui Neng, who was in deep thought, came to his senses, the fifth ancestor had already left the Daxiong Treasure Hall seven or eight zhang away, and hurriedly shouted behind him: "Master Ancestor stays, Master Ancestor stays!"

"What are you screaming behind the Five Ancestor Masters?! Go, go, go! A monk with a strange face, hearing Huineng's shout, strode up from behind, and couldn't help but exclaim: "Ah, it's him? How is he? ”

Shenxiu turned his head and asked him, "Yingyin, who is he?" Why, do you know him? ”

He ...... He...... He was the first time to come to Dongzen Temple, how could I know him! Shadow Hide hurriedly denied it (this was Huineng's second contact with Shadow Hide). Ying Yin had a plastic surgery, and Hui Neng couldn't recognize Ying Yin for a while. But Kagein recognized Huineng.

When the Fifth Ancestor heard this, he turned around and saw a stranger. He stopped.

Huineng gave a salute to the five ancestors: "The ancestor is polite. ”

The Fifth Patriarch looked at this strange uninvited guest with a torch-like gaze: this young man with dark skin all over his body had protruding foreheads, his ears and shoulders were hanging down, and he did have the spirit of Buddha, but the blue-black coarse linen clothes on his body were filthy, and there were a little white on them. Obviously, this is the salt stain left on the clothes after the sweat on the body has dried during the long journey. His clothes were scratched and tattered by the thorns on the way, and the straw sandals on his feet were worn out, and half of his toes were exposed. At first glance, it is not much different from a wandering beggar.

Seeing his appearance as a native of the mountain village, the Fifth Ancestor frowned and asked, "What's your name?"

"The surname is Lu, and the name is Huineng."

"Huineng? You're a layman, why did you come up with a legal name?"

"I don't know, my parents gave it to me when I was a child."

"Where are you from?"

"Nanyue Xinzhou."

"What are you doing here?"

"Seek Buddha."

The Fifth Ancestor held his long beard and stared at the dark-skinned Huineng with scrutinizing eyes, and after a while, he shook his head: "Nanyue Xinzhou is a desolate and desolate place, how can you Ge Fang become Buddhas?"

Huineng said anxiously and loudly: "Master's words are wrong. ”

Huineng's words came out, and everyone was shocked!

In the Dongchan Temple, up and down, there are more than 800 disciples in total, and the five ancestors can be said to be full of words here. The disciples spoke to him as if they were in court. No one dared to argue. Now, when this stranger first arrived at Dongchan Temple, he dared to say that the five ancestors were wrong as soon as he opened his mouth in front of all the disciples. "Why don't you surprise the monks?

Shenxiu's face sank, his eyes were as sharp as a sword, and he shouted: "Bold! Did you come here to ask for the Buddha, or to provoke?"

Huineng's expression was calm: "Of course it's to ask for Buddha." ”

Shenxiu's tone was still so stern: "Since you are asking for Buddha, you have the courage to say that the master is wrong?"

All the monks also rebuked Huineng in unison.

In the face of the rebuke of the monks, Huineng was not in a hurry, and replied: "What the ancestor said just now is indeed wrong. ”

Shenxiu scolded loudly: "Are you still hard-mouthed?"

The warrior monk Hong De next to the Fifth Ancestor was Shenxiu's most loyal supporter, and he rushed forward and slapped Huineng.

"Smack!" Huineng's face immediately jumped with five red fingerprints.

After Hong De beat people, he was not willing to give up, and loudly reprimanded Huineng: "In the Dongchan Temple, insulting my ancestor, is this worth it?"

Huineng didn't refute, let alone fight back, and didn't even touch the beaten cheeks with his hands, still standing with his hands down.

"Hongde, don't come nonsense." The fifth ancestor saw that Hong De had gone too far, so he shouted quietly to stop him.

Hong De's anger did not drop, and the green tendons on his neck were exposed, like earthworms curling up, but he didn't make any more moves, just said to Huineng stupidly: "This is really cheap for you." ”

The Fifth Ancestor looked at Hui Neng sharply and asked, "Why did you say that Lao Wei's words were wrong?"

Huineng raised his head and said bluntly: "Master, you said that our Lingnan people are Ge Fang, obviously with a contemptuous tone. You are arrogant and say that we can't become a Buddha when we wait for Ge Fang! This is indeed a bad statement. ”

"Poor? What's so bad?" The Fifth Patriarch raised his voice and emphatically said, "You Ge Fang are people from the Southern Barbarians, and you have never been civilized, so it will be difficult for you to become a Buddha in the future. ”

When he first saw the Five Ancestors, in the face of this authority as high and heavy as Mount Tai, Huineng dared to express his heart: "Born in the world, there is indeed a distinction between north and south in terms of geographical territory; But how can there be a distinction between north and south in the world of Buddhism? It is true that you and I are different in physical form, but the light of the Buddha that shines on us should be the same. Even if you are not civilized, although you are different from your master, what is the difference between the nature of a Buddha?"

The Five Ancestors were shocked. I can't imagine that the southern kudzu fang, who is full of rustic air, would say such a thing, this is the essence of the sutra in the "Nirvana Sutra" that "all living beings have Buddha nature"! The five ancestors faintly felt that today's comer was a Buddhist instrument given to Dongchan Temple by the sky.

Huineng didn't wait for the five ancestors to speak, and continued: "The pearl mussel is not good-looking, because of the breeding of the sea, it often has priceless pearls hidden in its belly. Liquan Zhicao has no roots, but it absorbs the aura of heaven and earth, the essence of the sun and the moon and becomes a treasure in the world. The disciples are all cultivated by their ancestors. Master, you've probably heard the old saying 'Daze rises from the dragon and snake', right?"

For so many years, in the Dongchan Temple, as long as the five ancestors heard the words of compliment and praise, they had never seen anyone who had a dissenting opinion about him. Now. This newcomer to the Nanban boy, as soon as he met, spoke extraordinary, which shows that he has a wisdom root, and he has more extraordinary potential at the bottom of the heart lake. After this reflection, the Fifth Ancestor felt a liking for Hui Neng in his heart, but he knew the weight of his every expression in front of everyone and the consequences it would cause, so he did not express this opinion.

The fifth ancestor just asked with a flat expression: "Have you read too many juvenile books, and you have won Xiucai, or Jinshi?"

Huineng waved his hand and said frankly: "My father died when I was three years old, and I was raised by my mother's hard work. Because of his poor family, he never went to school to study, but only learned from others, and only knew a few simple words. So I haven't been hit by any show talent and jinshi. ”

The Fifth Ancestor was moved: "You are also quite good at talking. ”

Huineng said sincerely: "I haven't seen anything in the world, I have little experience, and my knowledge is thin, but what I said just now is all my heartfelt words. ”

The fifth ancestor was puzzled: "You are far away in Lingnan, how do you know that you have come to my Dongchan Temple?"

"It was Master Lonely Sky of Jintai Temple in Xinzhou who asked me to come to you." Hui Neng said, took out a letter from his bosom, and respectfully handed it over, "This is a letter from Master Lonely Sky to you. ”

The Fifth Patriarch took the letter, opened it and read it, and saw that it was a letter of recommendation from his disciple, so he turned to Huineng: "The sea of suffering for monks is boundless, and it is necessary to go through thousands of calamities to achieve positive results. Since ancient times, it is not uncommon for people who study Buddhism to be models of forgetting their bodies, stabbing blood, and breaking their arms. It is necessary to endure the unspeakable hardships of ordinary people, do the work that is difficult for ordinary people to do, and be inspirational and clear-minded, so as to make achievements. ”

Huineng's eyes flashed, and the corners of his mouth showed a resolute look: "It's difficult to see her husband's heart, and the snow queen knows the pine and cypress." Master, that's what I'm here for. ”

Seeing that he was full of determination, the fifth ancestor groaned: "This ......"

Huineng pleaded: "I want to cultivate to become a Buddha, and I hope that my master will accept me as a disciple and shave my hair for me." ”

The Fifth Ancestor wanted to have a further in-depth conversation with Hui Neng, but when he saw Shenxiu and other disciples beside him, he sank his face and waved his hand resolutely: "You have never practiced half a line, nor have you sat in meditation for half a day, how can Lao Qu lose your hair for you so hastily?"

Huineng is as determined as iron: "But my determination to study Buddhism will not change." ”

"Whether your heart is sincere or not is not spoken by your own mouth. It's about your actions. In this case, you go to the miscellaneous room of the North Courtyard first, and start as a handyman. ”

Huineng nodded: "Thank you for the cultivation." ”

"You can call me Master when you meet in the future," the Fifth Ancestor tilted his head slightly to the side and said to Shenxiu, who was standing beside him, "You are the head of the Dongchan Temple, settle this new lay disciple." ”

"Good!" Shenxiu bowed humbly to the Fifth Ancestor and nodded, then turned to Huineng, and immediately changed his reprimanding face, "Let's go, follow me to the miscellaneous room of the North Courtyard." ”

Huineng followed Shenxiu towards the north courtyard, and after walking more than ten steps, he suddenly turned his head back, with spring on the corner of his mouth, and smiled slightly at the fifth ancestor.

The five ancestors have a hot heart: this firewood boy from the south has a simple and honest appearance, and is a little straightforward; But it is intelligent in the heart and wise in wisdom. First meeting. Dare to challenge authority, straightforward dissecting nature, how similar its nature is to his own mysteries. It seems that the great cause of Zen Buddhism has another successor.